1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for ketone and aldehyde detection, particularly in human and animal breath.
2. Description of Related Art
The present invention solves known problems in ketone and aldehyde vapor detection by means of a chemical reaction with powders, films, or solids of hydrogen halide adducts of hydroxylamines, or modified hydroxylamines. The reaction forms two products: an oxime and a hydrogen halide, e.g. hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, or hydrogen iodide. Previous embodiments of aldehyde and ketone detection by reaction with solid hydroxylamines have quantified the oxime product by gas chromatographic or gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric methods.
The present invention quantifies aldehydes and/or ketones by the optical detection of the hydrogen halide gas released from the reaction of aldehydes or ketones with hydroxylamine hydrogen halides. The invention is efficacious with hydroxylamine hydrochlorides, but is not limited to hydrochlorides. This invention is applicable to breath acetone analysis for diabetes screening, diabetes maintenance, exercise physiology, and identification and quantification of ketosis in humans and animals; explosives detection, e.g. triacetone triperoxide (TATP); formaldehyde detection; and all types of gas sensing applications targeting aldehydes or ketones.
U.S. Patents bearing a relation to the present invention include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,076,371; 7,052,854; 7,052,854; 6,319,724; 6,363,772; 6,454,723; 6,540,691; 5,174,959; 5,425,374; and 5,754,288.